(Image credit score: Macall Polay/HBO)
Full spoilers apply for The Penguin, including its final episode.
After eight weeks of award-worthy performances and an intensely charming epic, The Penguin has ended on Max/HBO (US), Sky/Now TV (UK), and Binge (Australia). And, my oh my, did it reside in customarily incendiary vogue for a restricted series I called an “fable Batman lag-off… that deserves to sit down down down alongside The Sopranos in HBO’s crime drama pantheon“.
Because the grime settles on OuncesCobb and Sofia Falcone’s explosive turf battle, it be time to sift throughout the rubble and opt what unquestionably came about. Who’s Gotham Metropolis’s new crime kingpin? Did someone perish at some stage within the series’ final episode? And did the Caped Crusader personal a final-minute cameo? I’m going to respond to all of these questions and more below so, must you would possibly possibly possibly possess now no longer viewed episode 8, titled ‘Wide or Petite Thing’, see it first as predominant spoilers straight away apply.
The Penguin ending explained: who obtained, OuncesCobb or Sofia Falcone?
As if it used to be ever in doubt, Ouncestriumphed over Sofia within the battle to manipulate Gotham’s prison underworld. Hiya, one among the easiest Max exhibits is known as The Penguin, so it would’ve been a unfamiliar transfer if it ended with Ouncess defeat on the hands of his rival.
Though it looks fancy Sofia has beaten Oz – he’s captured and taken to Gotham Metropolis’s airport to meet with Sofia for one final time – it be all a ploy on Ouncess phase. Indeed, in addition to Yakuza chief Feng Zhao, the goons who rob Ounceshostage are unquestionably working for him.
Appropriate as they’re about to hand him over, Link, Feng Zhao’s son and 2nd-in-show, betrays his father and shoots him within the pinnacle. The comfort of Ouncess gang, Vic integrated, cancel Sofia’s henchmen and snatch her as a replace. In completely different locations spread at some stage in Gotham, the lieutenants of town’s completely different prison syndicates equally cancel their bosses – Ouncesand Victor promising they’d be the brand new heirs to Gotham’s prison empire if they sigh allegiance to him as its new crime kingpin.
What is energetic about the series’ ending, even supposing, is Ouncesdoesn’t cancel Sofia, which is something of a rarity for the eponymous sociopath. In a scene paying homage to his outdated characteristic as Sofia’s chaffeur, Ouncesdrives Sofia to an undisclosed assert on Gotham’s outskirts. After exiting the automobile, he holds her at gunpoint as they engage in what looks to be one final, barb-filled tête-à -tête sooner than Ouncesprepares to gun her down.
Then but again, as Sofia closes her eyes and prepares for the reside, her face is with out discover lit up by a lustrous light. Slowly opening her eyes, she spots a police helicopter, entire with searchlight, circling overhead and, turning round, realizes Ouncesis gone. A huge series of cop autos loom into locate and, moments later, she’s arrested by Gotham police chief Mackenzie Bock and his fellow law enforcers.
The Penguin ending explained: wait, so Sofia is never always dumb?
Nope. Instead, she’s re-admitted to Arkham Asylum.
In the impress’s flashback-heavy fourth episode, titled ‘Cent’Anni’, Sofia used to be sent to Gotham’s excessive-security penal advanced for the criminally insane by her father – and Gotham’s extinct crime lord – Carmine Falcone. Remember, she discovered too worthy about his murdering of completely different females, including his possess spouse and Sofia’s mom. In sigh to duvet his tracks, he pinned the deaths on his possess daughter who, despite continuously protesting her innocence, because of this fact spent 10 years in Arkham Asylum.
Escaping with the again of her brother Alberto and therapist Physician Julian Trot sooner than the events of The Penguin, Sofia idea she’d finally viewed the support of Arkham Asylum. Turns out she used to be unsuitable, eh?
The Penguin ending explained: alright, so who did die?
Feng Zhao and a range of Sofia’s subordinates notwithstanding, one of the most worthy loss of life is –soul-crushingly, would possibly possibly possibly I add – Victor Aguilar.
Ouncess predominant lackey since The Penguin episode 1, fans possess been persistently interested by Victor’s welfare. Indeed, moderately about a viewers expressed hiss for The Penguin‘s most lovable persona staunch two episodes into its eight chapter flee. But, as Victor took on more duties for Oz, coupled with how shut the pair grew to turn out to be at some stage within the Batman lag-off series, viewers self assurance grew that Victor would possibly possibly possibly unquestionably personal it out alive.
Devastatingly, that wasn’t the case. As Ouncesand Victor possess an even time a job well done by taking management of Gotham’s prison underbelly, and mourn what came about to Oz’ mom Francis (more on her rapidly), the tone of the scene shifts as Ouncestells Victor he can not leave any free ends with what’s transpired over the final eight episodes. Grabbing Victor in a headlock, Ouncesmurders Victor by suffocating him to loss of life. To personal issues even worse from a viewing experience viewpoint, Ouncesleaves Victor’s dumb body mendacity on the ground sooner than throwing his I.D. card into Gotham’s river so no one can with out complications opt his identification.
As for Francis, she doesn’t join Victor on the dumb persona pile, but she would possibly possibly possibly moreover possess. After suffering a excessive stroke at some stage in one of the most indispensable half of ‘Wide or Petite Thing’, Francis is left in an assisted vegetative assert.
Unwilling to let his mom die, Ouncesbreaks the promise he made to Francis in episode 5 – a chapter the keep he agreed to again her to entire her life if her Lewy Body Dementia sickness severely diminished her quality of life. Discharging her from sanatorium, Ouncestakes a completely mattress-sure Francis to his new penthouse suite within the used La Couronne hotel he now owns. There, he positions his incapacitated mom in entrance of a window looking onto the Gotham Metropolis skyline. As a minimal Ouncesefficiently kept one pledge to persistently gaze after her and give her a correct life…
The Penguin ending explained: does Batman personal a cameo?
Nope. Neither Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne or his masked vigilante alter-ego personal an appearance in The Penguin‘s finale.
That’s to be expected, in actuality. Ever since The Penguin‘s first episode debuted on one of the significant area’s easiest streaming products and services, showrunner Lauren LeFranc and executive producer Matt Reeves, the latter of whom is the creative overlord of ‘The Batman Fable Crime Saga’, which The Penguin is a phase of, possess persistently talked about that the Sunless Knight wouldn’t impress up. Proper to personal, the duo weren’t pulling our collective leg in a uncover to misdirect us.
That talked about, The Penguin doesn’t reside with out referencing the so-called Immense Nasty Bat. As Ouncesand Eve dance the night away in his penthouse, the Bat-Signal would possibly possibly possibly even be viewed within the gap, with an unknown particular person turning it on to accumulate Batman’s consideration. The neat money says Jeffrey Wright’s Commissioner Jim Gordon is accountable for illuminating Gotham’s skyline with the iconic symbol – he’s got outdated personal for doing so, finally. Does The Penguin‘s final chapter, then, lead straight away into The Batman Share II, aka the next project in pattern for ‘The Batman Fable Crime Saga’? Doubtlessly, but I’m going to delve into that in more detail later.
The Penguin ending explained: are there any completely different Batman-adjacent persona appearances?
They attain! After Ouncess court chat with zigzag senator Sebastien, the impress’s titular persona heads for the exit. As he does so, he spots Bella Exact, Gotham’s newly installed predominant who performed a minor characteristic in The Batman, heading into her office with her secretary and security team.
As talked about earlier, Mackenzie Bock will almost definitely be phase of proceedings, with Gotham’s police chief making his 2nd appearance in ‘Wide and Petite Thing’ following his cameo in episode 5, aka ‘Homecoming’.
Lastly, even supposing she doesn’t impress up, Zoë Kravitz’s Selina Kyle is referenced in episode 8. Following Sofia’s re-incarceration in Arkham Asylum, Julian Trot brings Sofia a letter, penned by Selina, which reminds us (and informs Sofia) that they’re half-sisters. Remember, Carmine Falcone used to be published to be Selina’s dad in The Batman, so this revelation did no longer reach as a shock to me, nor would possibly possibly possibly honest indifferent it possess to you, either.
The Penguin ending explained: is there a mid-credit score or put up-credit score scene?
No. Smartly, there wasn’t one connected to my superior press screener for episode 8. Except a mid- or reside-credit score scene used to be added to the publicly released model, then, there is now no longer one to stick around for as soon as the impress’s final credit score sequence has rolled.
The Penguin ending explained: will there be a season 2?
No person knows but, on the time of writing, it be highly now no longer actually. Work will commence up on The Batman Share II (I’m getting to it, don’t danger) in early 2025, so that is the next project that Reeves and firm will almost definitely be focusing on. With rumors that completely different The Batman lag-offs are also in pattern (per The Order and The Wrap), one among which will almost definitely be a Joker series starring Barry Keoghan (in response to business insider Jeff Sneider, as reported by ScreenTime), there would possibly possibly possibly honest now no longer be room to squeeze a 2nd season of The Penguin into the schedule.
None of this takes Colin Farrell’s solutions into the equation, either. The A-lister, who portrayed OuncesCobb in this impress and The Batman, suggested GamesRadar that he doesn’t know whether a sequel season will almost definitely be greenlit. Even supposing one is, he admits he desires time to decompress from the characteristic, including: “Lauren talked about ‘Eye, if I would possibly possibly possibly salvage a manner that is perfect [to put on the prosthetics and suit again], would you discuss it?’ And I talked about ‘Completely.’ And, possibly in a 365 days I would. But when I performed I used to be fancy, ‘I beneath no circumstances want to keep that f*****g suit and that f*****g head on but again.'”
Serene, with The Penguin‘s premiere pulling in over five million viewers on Max and HBO alone, the significant and commercial acclaim it be been met with, and requires Farrell and Cristin Milioti, who performs Sofia, to assemble multiple nominations earlier than subsequent 365 days’s awards circuit, I’d be amazed if HBO and DC Studios executives are now no longer already clamoring for but any other installment. Reduction an look on TechRadar for more news when I even possess it.
The Penguin ending explained: how does the HBO impress station up The Batman Share II?
The short answer is: I do no longer know. No person outdoor of Reeves, his co-creator Mattson Tomlin, or Reeves’ fellow producer Dylan Clark know about The Batman Share II‘s epic and the plot in which The Penguin‘s events will impression it. Indeed, talking to Collider, Farrell published he had no idea about how the location would possibly possibly possibly honest unfold.
There are some storytelling parts that we can infer about Pattinson’s subsequent sizable-show conceal day out, even supposing. Per events depicted in The Penguin episode 8, Ouncescould salvage himself putting out with Gotham’s political elite and completely different socialites within the approaching DC film. That used to be one of the most indispensable compare he made to Sebastien if Ounceshelped the inferior councillor to lift an reside to the team battle that used to be infecting Gotham’s streets. If Sebastien also cleaned up Crown Level and shut down manufacturing of Bliss, the brand new drug that – satirically – Ounceshelped to flood the streets with, he’d be adored by Gotham’s populace, too, and give himself one of the most easy opportunity to bolt to the pinnacle politically.
Sebastien agrees to again Ouncesbut, with Mayor Exact on the point of personal an anti-corruption job force, Ounceswould would possibly possibly possibly honest indifferent be obvious none of this, Sebastien’s newfound relationship with Ouncesincluded, can reach support to chunk them, which Ouncesconcurs with.
If Ouncesbegins to mingle with Gotham’s filthy rich folk, The Batman Share II would possibly possibly possibly locate him reach face-to-face with Bruce Wayne. Undoubtedly, Ouncesdoesn’t know Wayne is Batman – Ouncesmet the Caped Crusader, but now no longer Wayne, in The Batman, so he would possibly possibly possibly honest now no longer know they’re one and the similar particular person – but it would possibly possibly possibly maybe be charming to gaze Wayne work along side Ouncesand compare out now no longer to give away the fact that he’s Gotham’s quantity one crimefighter.
In other areas, it would possibly possibly possibly maybe be nice looking to gaze if Sofia makes an appearance, regardless of how transient, within the sequel flick. Pattinson’s Wayne and Zoë Kravitz’s Selina Kyle grew shut in The Batman and, while they went their separate systems at some stage in its final scene, there is persistently the capacity for Kravitz to reprise her characteristic. If she does, The Batman Share II would possibly possibly possibly accumulate the free location thread about Selina and Sofia being half-sisters. That will maybe completely add some extra spice to proceedings, seriously if Sofia uses Selina to accumulate an viewers with Batman in a uncover to see some personal of retribution against Oz.
There’s been plenty more dialogue about The Batman Share II, including who Reeves and Pattinson would fancy its predominant villain to be. Till manufacturing formally begins, even supposing, your wager is as correct as mine about how The Penguin sets up its location and persona roster. Confidently, we’ll learn more as soon as indispensable photography gets underway.
